Nunchaku History

 The Art of Nunchaku | What is Nunchaku | Nunchaku History | Nunchaku Techniques | Nunchaku Kata | Nunchaku Free Style

Although the certain origin of nunchaku is not known (as are most weapons in the history), it was possibly invented in China. The popular belief is that the nunchaku was originally a short flail used to thresh rice (separate the grain from the husk). However some say that this weapon was not developed from a grain flail, and was created by a martial artist looking for a way to conceal his staff from the current oppressive government so he decided to cut it into three sections. The three sectioned staff is commonly known today as the sansetsukon.

The nunchaku was derived from this, over time becoming what it is today. Still others say its development as a weapon grew out of the moratorium on edged weaponry under the Satsuma daimyo due to their restrictive policy of weapons control after invading Okinawa in the 17th century. (Some maintain that the weapon was most likely conceived and used exclusively for that end, as the configuration of actual flails and bits are unwieldy for weapons use, not to mention the fact that peasant farmers were unlikely to train for ‘improvised’ combat against professional warriors.)The modern nunchaku has been modified for its use as a weapon and would make a relatively ineffective rice flail.

The nunchaku as a weapon has surged in popularity since martial artist Bruce Lee used it in his movies in the 1970s. It is generally considered by martial artists to be a limited weapon. Complex and difficult to wield, the nunchaku lacks the range of the bo (quarterstaff) and the edged advantage of a sword or sai. It is also prone to inflicting injury on its user. Nevertheless, the nunchaku’s impressive motion in use and perceived lethality contributed to its increasing popularity, peaking in the 1980s, perhaps due to its (unfounded) association with ninjas during the 1980s ninja craze.

Formal nunchaku styles: The most common martial arts to use nunchaku are the Japanese and Okinawan martial arts such as some forms of karate/kobudo and ninjutsu, but some Eskrima systems also teach practitioners to use nunchaku. Songahm Taekwondo, a Korean style patterned after karate, also teaches how to use one and two Nunchaku, though in Korean, they are known as Sahng Jeol Bahngs, or sometimes Sahng Jeol Bongs. The styles of these three arts are rather different; the traditional Okinawan arts would have used the sticks primarily to grip and lock, while the Filipino arts would have used the sticks primarily for striking, while Songahm Taekwondo teaches a combination of both.

In the early 80′s, Kevin D. Orcutt, an American police sergeant, holder of a black belt in Jukado, developed the OPN (Orcutt Police Nunchaku) system. Since then some American law enforcement agencies employ the Nunchaku as a control weapon instead of the Tonfa, also known as the common police baton, which also finds its origin in the Kobudo weapons family. This system emphasises only a small subset of the nunchaku techniques, for speedier training.

Free-Style Marial Arts Programs across the United States, such as The Sports Club of West Bloomfield, Michigan encourage the use of nunchaku.

There is now a dedicated World Nunchaku Association, based in the Netherlands, which teaches Nunchaku-Do as a contact sport. They use yellow and black plastic weight-balanced training chucks and protective headgear. They have their own belt colour system where one earns colour stripes on the belt instead of using the full colour belts. In competition, one opponent turns over the belt, as one side is yellow and the other black.

There is also a complete system of ranking in the nunchaku called the North American Nunchaku Association based in California, USA. They offer a complete system of the nunchaku teaching traditional and free-style techniques, from white to black belt. They have students in many countries including England, France, Netherlands, Canada, South Africa, and Denmark. The entire system is based on the DVD’s where you study at home and send your tests to their school in California.

Anatomy of the traditional nunchaku: A nunchaku is two sections of wood (or metal in modern incarnations) connected by a cord or chain. Chinese nunchaku tend to be rounded, whereas Japanese are octagonal. The ideal length of each piece should be the length of the users forearm; the bone between elbow and wrist. Traditionally both ends are of equal length (although asymmetrical nunchakus exist). The ideal length for the connecting rope/chain can be calibrated for each individual by letting the rope hang over the wrist, with the sticks hanging comfortably pointing straight to the ground, but without giving more rope than is necessary for it to do so. Weight balance is extremely important, cheaper or gimmicky nunchakus (such as glow-in-the-dark ones) are often not properly balanced, which prevent the artist from doing the more advanced and flashier ‘low-grip’ moves, such as overhand twirls. The weight should be balanced towards the outer edges of the sticks for maximum ease and control of the swing arcs.

The traditional nunchaku is made from a strong, flexible hardwood such as oak, loquat or pasania. Originally, the wood would be submerged in mud for several years, where lack of oxygen and optimal acidity prevent rotting. The end result is a hardened wood. The rope is made from horsehair, and was traditionally claimed to be able to block a sword. Finally, the wood is very finely sanded and rubbed with an oil or stain for preservation. Today, such nunchaku are often varnished or painted for display purposes. This practice tends to reduce the grip and make the weapon harder to handle, and so is not advised in a combat weapon.

There are various traditional alternative forms such as the 3-sectional and 4-sectional staff (nunchaku with 2 and 3 interconnecting pieces).

Anatomy of the modern nunchaku: The modern nunchaku can be made from any suitable material: from wood as well as from almost any plastic or fiberglass material, commonly covered with foam to prevent self-injury or the injury of others. It is not uncommon to see modern nunchaku made from light metals such as aluminum. Modern equivalents of the rope are nylon cord or metal chains on ball bearing joints. A simple effective way to construct a pair of nunchaku is to take two dowels of any preferred size and buy a thin chain similar to that of a necklace (about a centimeter in width). Then nail the end of the chain to the side of the dowel about 3-4 centimeters from the top. Repeat for the other dowel. Now you’ll notice that the chain is off center and therefore the nunchakus are off balance. To remedy that take a staple gun and staple the chain to the top of the wood on both sides about 3 times. Then just hammer the staples so that they almost completely penetrate the wood.

The Nunchaku-Do sport, governed by the World Nunchaku Association, promotes black and yellow Styrofoam chucks. The difference with readily available plastic training chucks is that these are properly balanced.

There are some alternate nunchakus, made solely for sporting such as:

• Telescopic Nunchakus: which are metal retractable chucks, available in 2 sizes.
• Glow-Chucks – made either with fiberglass and a coloured light fitted in the ball bearing or some kind of fluorescent taping around the sticks.
• Penchakus: There are flashier Lissajous-do sticks available for artistic performances. These are more colourful and sometimes fluorescent with a modified anatomy which favors control in expense of power; they have longer length sticks and extremely short ropes. The idea is based on a mathematical model, the Lissajous, which allows the user to keep a continuous flowing form.

Nunchaku in combat: When used in combat, the nunchaku provide the obvious advantage of an increase in the reach of one’s strike. Although somewhat difficult to control, the rope or chain joint of the nunchaku adds the benefit of striking from unexpected angles. Practitioners of the flashier styles contend that the motion of the nunchaku is often found distracting by opponents, who may have trouble keeping up with the nunchaku’s rapid motion. In addition, the reach of the nunchaku is often underestimated, even by those experienced with its use.

The original Okinawan techniques involve holding the weapon in a variety of preparatory postures. Once an opponent has moved their weapon or body into close range, the nunchaku is used to strike vital spots, and apply joint locks, chokes and other control techniques.

Care of the nunchaku: For wooden nunchaku it is advisable (although not strictly necessary) to clean the nunchaku with a cloth moistened in olive oil, camellia oil or any other plant oil for easier grip and this also prevents fading of the original color (because it puts a coating layer where the varnish disappeared). When hitting hard objects the wood may splinter. If this happens you can get splinters in your hands. 

To avoid this simply take an office-type cellophane tape (as it is wide, light, thin profiled, transparent and very tough when surface mounted) and carefully wrap it round the shaft in a slightly overlapping spiral; this takes a bit of practice to perfect as air bubbles and folds should be avoided. No need for oiling or washing and no chance of splintering. To prevent wear of the nylon ropes candle wax can be coated at the tips where the most friction occurs.

Many traditional Kobudo practitioners leave the wood untreated. This is so the oils from your skin and many hours of use can “season” or harden the wood. Varnish, lacquer and the like is usually considered bad for the weapon and not as good for grip and control of the weapon.